CONESTOGA COLLEGE
New degree program prepares students to respond to community mental health needs

Conestoga is launching the four-year bachelor's degree in September at the Kitchener - Doon campus to prepare students with the knowledge, skills and resources needed to be successful for a career in the evolving field as the need for mental health and wellness workers expands beyond clinical settings and into community.  

"There is a significant mental-health crisis occurring across Canada, especially for young people. The current mental-health system doesn't have the capacity to respond and is often too expensive or inaccessible for many. We are launching a community-based program to do our part as a college to respond to the needs of our community. We need workers who have a specialization in mental health that is interdisciplinary and can work in a variety of sectors," said Lorri Sauvé, a chair of Human Services in the School of Community Services.

A Statistics Canada study in 2021 reported that almost one in five Canadians 12 and older said they needed some help with their mental health. The Mental Health Commission of Canada reported that an estimated 1.2 million children and youth are affected by mental illness, yet less than 20 percent will receive appropriate treatment.

Ontario's comprehensive mental health and addictions strategy, Open Minds, Healthy Minds, emphasized the urgent need to "transform services so that all Ontarians have timely access to an integrated system of coordinated and effective promotion, prevention, early intervention, and community support and treatment programs."

This points to the need for an emerging new workforce that is comfortable and competent in working in community-based mental-health programs, Sauvé said.  "There is a system-wide recognition that solutions to the growing mental-health crisis do not rest with the current health-care system alone, and expanding community-based services and programs should be a complementary strategy."

Conestoga's degree takes a holistic approach, developing professionals who can support those struggling with mental health challenges as well as create policies and programs around prevention.

Applied learning is fundamental to the program. Students gain practical hands-on experience through real-world learning opportunities such as simulations with real-life practice scenarios and standardized patients, case studies, community field placements and a paid co-op work term. In the final year, students will complete a small-group professional research project in partnership with an organization, either developing or evaluating a program.

Future job prospects for mental health workers in Ontario are good over the next three years, and the occupation is expected to face a strong risk of labour shortage from now to 2033 at the national level, Job Bank Canada reported in December 2024. Almost a quarter of mental health workers in the country were 50 and older in 2023.

"Graduates will not only staff the currently needed positions within our region. They will be a significant part of the solution required to address the emerging mental health challenges across our communities," Sauvé said.

Conestoga's Bachelor of Community Mental Health and Wellness (Honours) program is ideal for people who want to focus on prevention, promotion and intervention to support individual and community mental health and wellness using an equity-informed framework and multiple perspectives.

This program will help students develop strong critical thinking, research and professional communication skills. Graduates will be career-ready for an opportunity in the areas of workplace wellness, mental-health support, community outreach, systems navigation and program development in a variety of sectors such as social services, education, government and corporate.

Find out more about the program delivered by the School of Community Services and how to apply at www.conestogac.on.ca/fulltime/bachelor-of-community-mental-health-and-wellness-honours.